A Weird Type of Friendship
by MusicNeverStops474
Summary: Tobey's getting braces! Will this make Becky/WordGirl feel sympathetic for him? Could this be the beginning of a new friendship?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is just a story I thought up while I was recovering from my oral surgery and it helped pass the time. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own WordGirl and any of the characters.**

Chapter 1

"Tobey? Tobey are you here?"

Ms. Davis called his name out on the morning attendance but received no answer. It was an ordinary Wednesday morning at D. T. Roberts Elementary School where Becky and Bob sat in their classroom and looked up at the sound of Tobey's name.

_Wow, _thought Becky, surprised, _Tobey hasn't missed a day of school since the beginning of the year. I wonder where he is today. Maybe I should check it out later; I hope he isn't causing mayhem again._

Becky thought about this because every time Tobey or any other villain caused trouble, it was her who had to save the day. See Becky had a secret, one that only she and Bob knew. She was WordGirl, the town's superhero who always had to protect the citizens from the villains like the Butcher, Granny May, and of course Tobey. Tobey was the boy genius who had the ability to build 50-foot tall robots which he programmed to terrorize the city in order to try to impress her. As Wordgirl of course, when she was Becky he paid no attention to her.

_Not that I want him to pay attention to me, of course. I mean, it's Tobey, just Tobey who likes to terrorize the city and is so arrogant, but also so intelligent and a good conversationalist… Whoa! What am I thinking?_

Bob's squeak brought her back to reality and she shook off the ridiculous thought and listened as Ms. Davis asked for their homework.

0o0o0o0

At the same time, Tobey and his mother sat outside the orthodontic office, waiting to be called. The pair sat in the chairs that were surprisingly comfortable for an office, his mother looking at a home decorating magazine and him just twiddling his thumbs. Actually, twiddling his thumbs seemed like the most pathetic thing his intellectual mind had ever heard but there was nothing better for him to do. Plus, that was what he usually did when he was nervous and, boy was he nervous! He was getting braces today and he didn't really know what to expect. His mother told him that it wouldn't hurt that bad but then people at school told him horror stories about them.

He would never admit this to anyone, but he was scared. Scared out of his wits to be exact. He could face villains, face falling off a building, and even face bullying at school but when it came to gluing metal onto his teeth; that really terrified him. Plus the fact that probably no one would even care that he was in pain. No, he would get no visitors; no friends wishing him good luck or bringing cards, the only one caring about him would be his mother as always. That's how it had always been and how it would stay, he couldn't force people to like him, a fact he had long denied.

_It's no use thinking about things that will never happen. I'll never have friends, never have someone to care about me, either than mother, and I'll never have _WordGirl's_ affections…_

At that moment, the receptionist called his name and they stood up, Tobey nervously twisting his shirt, scared about the events about to happen.

0o0o0o0

"Violet, where do you think Tobey is?" Becky asked the dreamy blond for the 20th time.

"I don't know Becky, how could I? Why do you care so much anyways, I thought you really disliked him," she replied in her same dreamy voice.

"It's not that dislike him, well, I mean he is sometimes pretty arrogant but he does have some good points," she stated, racking her brain to think of some.

"What does arrogant mean again?" Violet asked, staring off at a butterfly.

"Arrogant means to be stuck up or really proud and boastful like when Tobey brags about being a boy genius," she answered in her WordGirl voice.

"Ooh! Look, there's Scoops!" She pointed out, apparently uninterested in the conversation any longer.

Becky sighed and whispered to Bob, "Come on Bob, let's go find out what's wrong with Tobey while it's still recess."

He squeaked indignantly but allowed her to scoop him up anyway. They ducked behind a tree and with a quick, "Word Up!" they were gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Here's chapter 2! All this comes from personal experience with braces. It is not fun! I was eating mashed potatoes for a week after my surgery! Actually, that wasn't too bad 'cause I love potatoes! Sorry, I'm rambling! **

**Disclaimer/ I own nothing (though I wish I did!)**

Back at the orthodontists, Tobey was seated in the large, leather chair while the women who would be putting on his braces got prepared. While the one named Leslie got the tools, the other, Mandy, spoke to him soothingly.

"Don't worry; this part doesn't hurt at all though you will have to keep your mouth wide for quite some time. Plus, we're only doing the top braces today; you'll get your bottom ones in about six months."

Tobey had tried to keep his face neutral but failed and kept his head down so she would not see the tears that were threatening to leak out. She placed a hand on his shoulder and began rubbing it as to calm him and eventually he relaxed a little. Looking up at her sheepishly, he whispered, "Thanks."

"No probemo, now are you ready?"

He nodded and lay back in the chair and let the women begin the procedure while he concentrated on looking out the window and was confused because he could have sworn he saw a flash of red go by.

0o0o0o0

Becky, or WordGirl, sorry, was flying around the city, Bob tucked under one arm, looking for Tobey. First she had checked his house but found it empty and then she decided logically to check the doctor's.

_He must have had an appointment because he wouldn't have missed school for nothing. Well, he's not at the doctor's so….dentist! He must be at the dental office!_

As she flew over to the dark blue building, she spied Tobey's mother, thanks to her super sight, who was sitting in the waiting room looking quite nervous. WordgGirl circled around to the back and began peering in through all the windows. She spotted a bald man, a woman with fiery red hair, a little toddler, but no Tobey. Finally at the last window she saw Tobey sitting in the large lazy boy chair.

She gasped as she realized what he was getting done. He was getting braces!

_Oh, poor Tobey. That's why he seemed so morose when I last battled his robots; he's probably been worried about this for weeks! And look at him, he looks just terrified!_

It was true; his shockingly blue eyes were wide open and were slightly red around the edges, signaling that he'd been crying. Her heart softened towards him at that moment, seeing him so vulnerable and afraid.

Suddenly, Bob squeaked in warning and just in time too because right at that second, Tobey's eyes reverted to window, right where she was hovering. In a split second, she managed to fly up but not before he caught a glimpse of her. But before she could think about that, her watch beeped and she realized that she had 2 minutes to get back to school.

Talking aloud to Bob, she said, "I'll come to his house after school and see how he is and, no, before you even start Huggy, I do not like him."

He let out another disbelieving squeak before they zoomed back to school.

0o0o0o0

"Well, Tobs, you're all done, you just need to choose a color for your elastics," chirped Mandy, removing her hand from his mouth so he could speak.

"I don't know," he replied, gazing at the color ring, "I guess dark blue."

"Ah, you don't like attracting attention, do you?"

"Well, I have a feeling that no matter what color it is, I'll still attract some attention. This will just give kids a bigger reason to pick on me," he replied, dead-panned.

"How can people pick on a lovable, smart kid like you?"

Tobey snorted disbelievingly, "Lovable is not a word that people use to describe me."

"But smart is?"

"You could say that."

Their conversation was cut short by his mother barging into the room and encompassing him in her arms.

"Oh, Tobey. Are you alright, are you hurt, how do you feel?" She blasted off the questions all while holding on to him until he answered softly.

"I'm fine mother, really. It just feels a bit out of place but then again I do have metal glued to my teeth…"

"Tobey, what did I tell you about the sarcasm?"

"Yes, mother, I'm sorry," he apologized while rolling his eyes.

Mandy simply chuckled at the two and explained to them both about brushing, flossing, and overall the oral health. He was told that he would be a little sore in a few hours when the glue began setting into his teeth and that he might want to stay home for a day or so. Tobey simply nodded throughout the meeting, only wanting to get home and soon his mother was paying at the desk and scheduling the next appointment.

"Next month? The 7th? That sounds good, thank you. Come along Tobey, we best be getting home."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I hope you like this next chapter, it was a lot of fun to write! And I couldn't resist including Wicked the musical. It's just the most amazing musical ever! You should go and see it! Oh, sorry, rambling again. **

**Disclaimer/ I own nothing **

" Mom," Becky asked when she entered the kitchen after school, "would it be alright if I used some of your art stuff to make a card for a friend?"

"Sure honey," her mom replied while dancing around the kitchen listening to Elvis.

"Great, thanks," she answered then ran to the studio and got some things out for a card.

First, she found some cardstock that was light blue (Tobey's favorite color) and found some glitter, stencils, and colored markers and went to work making a "get well soon" card. She decorated the front with some robots holding a sign saying "Hope you feel better!" On the inside she contemplated what to right and made a rough draft first.

"'Dear Tobey, no, that sounds too formal. 'Hey Tobey', no, that's too casual. How about just 'Tobey'? Yeah, that sounds better," she spoke to herself.

Around 15 minutes later, Becky was finished with her card and began walking to Tobey's house. Bob had refused to go with her (she got the distinct feeling that he didn't like Tobey) so she went alone. His house was only a few blocks from hers and it took only a little while before she turned onto his street. The houses on his street were all humongous and fancy. They were all made from stones and had many balconies and arches. Many had hired gardeners to grow beautiful and exotic gardens and had large fountains and statues.

Tobey's house was near the far end of the street was just as spectacular as the others. As she approached the front door, she began to have second thoughts, _He won't want the card, I mean, he's Tobey! He probably doesn't want to be pitied; maybe it'd be better if I just left him alone._

But before she could turn away, the door swung open and she stood face to face with Mrs. McCallister.

"Why Becky? What are you doing here?" She inquired politely, her eyes glancing down to the card in her hands.

"Oh, hi Mrs. McCallister. I just noticed that Tobey wasn't at school today and he hasn't missed a day of school, like, ever so I thought I'd come and see if he was alright," answered Becky, slightly stumbling on her words.

"Oh, that's so nice of you to come and visit him," she said, clapping her hands together, "He gets lonely sometimes, since it's just him and I. I keep telling him to make some friends but he's so attached to his robots."

As Becky was led into the house, she let out an unintentional gasp. The inside was even more breathtaking then the outside with the marble floors and portraits hanging on the walls. One portrait in particular caught her eye; it was of Tobey (probably very recent) posed in their garden writing something. He looked so cam and relaxed, it surprised her, to be honest. She glanced around again and gazed up at the crystal chandelier which hung over the circular staircase.

Mrs. McCallister motioned her to come to the staircase and began leading her up while explaining, "He's in his room right now, and you can surprise him up there."

Becky nodded, curious as to what his room would be like. She didn't have to wait long to find out, though, because within another few seconds, they were outside the room marked "Tobey's Room".

Tobey's mom smiled at Becky, then left and retreated down the stairs. With a deep breath, she knocked softly and received no answer. Confused she knocked again, still no answer, so she pushed open the door and walked in. All at once, she was surrounded by the Tobey atmosphere and she glanced around the room. There were posters along the walls of robots, blueprints, but one surprised her. It was about the musical "Wicked" which she had seen on the weekend past. Who knew Tobey liked musicals?

Speaking of Tobey, there he was, sitting at his desk with earphones on. _No wonder he couldn't hear me knocking, _she thought, smirking.

Tip-toeing over to where he sat, she noted that he was writing something and she softly tapped his shoulder. This caused him to jump up with a yelp and his earphones fell to the floor. Then he clamped a hand over his mouth as if in pain and she stepped back. Collecting himself, he looked at her for a moment before finally saying, astonished, "Becky! What are you doing here? "

"Oh, I'm sorry Tobey if I hurt you," he waved this off as nonsense, "ummm, I just came to see if you were alright because you weren't at school today. And you've, like, never missed a day of school, and I was just wondering where you were. You know, because if you'd hurt yourself, that would be bad and….yeah."

Thinking to himself, _She actually cared that I wasn't at school. How considerate of her._

Out loud he replied, "Well, thanks Becky, it's awfully kind of you. I'm in perfect health, well….except for one thing."

Becky already knew, of course, about the braces but she couldn't let him know that so she put on a confused face and asked, "Oh? What's that?"

He weakly smiled at her, revealing the dark blue braces, a faint blush creeping up his face. Putting a hand to her mouth, she replied, "Oh, Tobey, I'm sorry. Do they hurt?"

"A little," he admitted, "but it's mostly a dull ache. They said my teeth will be sensitive for the next week or so but then they'll be okay."

"So, are you on a special diet or something?"

"Well, it's not much of a diet but, yes, mostly I'm having ice cream, mashed potatoes, jell-o, and basically any soft foods. But between you and me, I've snuck several cookies upstairs already."

Giggling a bit, Becky replied, "Well wouldn't it hurt?"

"Well, if I chew on my back teeth, it's alright. Enough on my teeth, what's that you got there?" He asked, pointing to the card in Becky's hands.

"Oh, it's just a little card, I thought you might need a little cheering up," replied Becky, blushing as she handed him the card.

He read it over and a smile grew on his face. Becky was a little shocked because of the sincerity and sweetness of it because usually the smile he wore looked as if it was pasted on. When he smiled liked this, the very tips of his ears turned pink and he looked adorable. As his head flipped up, his eyes shone brightly and he whispered, "Thanks Becky, you have no idea what this means to me."

Her blush grew darker as he placed, extremely carefully, the card on his shelf, sitting next to a photo of him and his mom. She noticed the unfamiliar background and commented on it by saying, "Where was that taken?"

He glanced back at the photo, took it down, and replied, "That was a last summer when mother took me to New York City to see "Wicked" on Broadway."

She gasped, "You saw Wicked? On Broadway? How was it?"

"It was absolutely amazing!" He replied with matched enthusiasm, "The sets were superb, the actors were brilliant, and the songs were simply perfect! Have you seen it?"

"Yes! It's my most favorite musical ever! Who's your favorite character?"

"Oh, it's Elpheba definitely. The way she's so misunderstood and her amazing story all combines to make this incredibly complex personage. And the actress was so talented, her acting and singing were incredible. In my opinion, "No Good Deed" was the best song in the show."

Becky nodded in confirmation and was struck with how comfortable they were being with each other. He wasn't his stuck up self when they were alone, that was nice.

They continued to chat and soon it was almost time for dinner. Glancing at his clock, Tobey gasped and revealed, "It's been almost 2 hours!"

"Oh, I hadn't noticed that it had been so long, I was so caught up in our conversation that I never noticed," she answered, amazed at the time past, "Well, my mom expects me home by dinner so I better head back."

He nodded, "I'm sorry this has to end but you're right, but maybe I'll see you tomorrow?

"Sure," she replied with a wide smile to match his own, "But now, I'd better get home."

0o0o0o0

Later that night, Tobey was snuggled up under his abstract blue and green covers when his mother came in. He looked up from the book he was reading, he was just about to find out if Gryffindor won the House Cup or not. His mother walked over softly and planted a kiss on his cheek saying, "Lights out Tobey, it's past nine. How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, I guess the pain killers are working."

"Did you have a fun time with your friend today? I saw that she brought you something," she mentioned, and motioning to the card on the shelf.

Twisting his head to look at the blue cardstock, he grinned and replied, "Oh, we had a smashing time, we talked about my hardware in my mouth then I told her about our vacation in NYC and we talked for probably an hour about "Wicked". It seems she really adores that musical, as do I."

"I'm glad you had a good time, she really is a nice girl. Now, enough chat, it's time for sleep," she pulled his glasses off slowly and placed them on the beside table. Kissing him on the cheek once more, she extinguished the lights and left the room quietly.

Closing his eyes, Tobey left his state of consciousness and drifted into a dreamland where thoughts swirled about his brain. Most included Becky, braces, and musicals and soon he fell into a deep and contented sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: So this is the nend of my little WordGirl story but I hope you all enjoyed it and find it satisfying!**

**Disclaimer/ I still don't anything.**

"Becky, where were you yesterday? I tried calling your house twice but your mom told me you were out to see someone," asked Violet while the two girls walked home from school the next day.

"Sorry Vi, I just went to visit someone and the visit ended up being longer than we expected. Did you need something?" Becky replied,_ Please don't ask who…._

"Who were you visiting?"

_Life certainly does hate me…., _"Umm, well….you know how I noticed that Tobey wasn't there yesterday? Umm….I just went to visit him."

"You went to visit Tobey?"

Sighing in frustration, Becky replied, "Well, that's what I just said, isn't it? And what's the big deal anyway, he was hurt and I went to see him, it's the polite thing to do."

"Whatever you say Becky, oh look! There's Scoops!" She cried, running over to him as he snapped photos of her.

Becky sighed and thought, _Well, I guess I'm walking home alone today. This is not turning out to be a good day._

Right as the thought passed through her mind, a public bus raced by and completely drenched Becky with mucky water from the rain the previous night. She stood there for a moment and then let out a yell of anger. Her hair was matted against her head, her clothes soggy and heavy, and her books soaked. As she turned to walk home, a car came speeding by, only to slow down farther up the street and suddenly, the car window rolled down.

A familiar blond head popped out and yelled, "Becky? Is that you and why in heaven's name are drenched?"

He motioned for her to come over and he quickly got out to open the backseat door for her, then climbed in after. As his mother began driving to her house, Tobey grabbed her bag and set it in the middle of the seats then asked again, "What happened Becky?"

"Well, school today was horrible, I started walking home with Violet who left me to walk with Scoops, and then a public bus sprayed me and now I'm soaked, and my homework's soaked. I'm just a mess today," she finished and directed her gaze down so he wouldn't see the tears threatening to fall.

Hesitantly, Tobey placed a hand on her back causing her to flip her head back up, then relax as he rubbed soothing circles. They said nothing but listened to the soft music up front and too soon, they reached Becky's house. Tobey got out first and went around the car just to open the door for her and grab her bag. Giggling at his never failing manners she took his outstretched hand and they walked to the door together. Once she was inside the doorway, she turned and asked, "Are you going to be at school tomorrow?"

He nodded with a small smile then bid her goodbye and returned to car. As she watched him drive away a small smile appeared on her face and all of a sudden, she decided that maybe, just maybe, she could be friends with Tobey. Even if it was a weird type of friendship.


End file.
